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House of Doors #2
Maze of Worlds
Alien beings bent on our destruction have seeded the world with horrible machines capable of transforming our planet into a hellhole where only they can live.
Our only hope is to solve the puzzle of a four-dimensional maze, an alien thing that is part building, part machine, and part psychological torture chamber. A few brave men and women--and one fearless dog--dare to enter the maze. What they find there will change their lives forever, as the alien machinery creates terrifying worlds based on their worst nightmares.
Our only hope is to solve the puzzle of a four-dimensional maze, an alien thing that is part building, part machine, and part psychological torture chamber. A few brave men and women--and one fearless dog--dare to enter the maze. What they find there will change their lives forever, as the alien machinery creates terrifying worlds based on their worst nightmares.
504 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
13 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Brian Lumley
444 books1,354 followersBrian Lumley was born near Newcastle. In 22 years as a Military Policeman he served in many of the Cold War hotspots, including Berlin, as well as Cyprus in partition days. He reached the rank of Sergeant-Major before retiring to Devon to write full-time, and his work was first published in 1970. The vampire series, 'Necroscope', has been translated into ten languages and sold over a million copies worldwide.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 23, 2023
Every author has to pay the bills sometime; even so, this was a pretty shameless rehash of the first House of Doors. Set four years after the events in the first book, the aliens are back; this time, however, not the 'ethical' Thone, but the renegades who the Thone ostracized for their morality(e.g, a lack thereof), including of course Sith, who was the alien antagonist in the first book. Unbeheld to the Thone's standards, Sith made a deal with some other renegades to bust him out of jail-- the 'prize' is Earth. When the aliens come this time, they bring several Houses of Doors and immediately start transforming the planet via some strange seaweed.
The remaining cast from the last book are assembled once again; this time to save the planet from the alien threat. Spencer Gill still has the deactivated original House of Doors and he plans to reactivate it and do battle with the aliens on their terms. Once again, they plunge into the House of Doors and must face the ultimate test, and old Sith is back with revenge on his slimy mind.
I liked the first book in this series, but Maze of Worlds, written about 10 years later, added nothing; Lumley just took the old script, added a few new characters, and we have our handful of heroes stumbling from one adventure to the next. Basically, a rinse and repeat of the last novel. Hope it make Lumley some cash when the bills were due. 2 sorry stars.
The remaining cast from the last book are assembled once again; this time to save the planet from the alien threat. Spencer Gill still has the deactivated original House of Doors and he plans to reactivate it and do battle with the aliens on their terms. Once again, they plunge into the House of Doors and must face the ultimate test, and old Sith is back with revenge on his slimy mind.
I liked the first book in this series, but Maze of Worlds, written about 10 years later, added nothing; Lumley just took the old script, added a few new characters, and we have our handful of heroes stumbling from one adventure to the next. Basically, a rinse and repeat of the last novel. Hope it make Lumley some cash when the bills were due. 2 sorry stars.
January 28, 2022
3.5/5 This story was a solid 3.5 and I really wish that Goodreads would start using half stars. The is a Sci-Fi adventure story with hints of horror. This was the second half of a duology and one of those that you definitely need to read the first book first.
If you enjoy Lumley's writing like I do than this is a great read.
If you enjoy Lumley's writing like I do than this is a great read.
July 15, 2025
Sith, who aimed to become the Grand Thone in House of Doors, was banished from The Thone for the tricks he played on Spencer Gill and Angela Denholm in House of Doors, so now Sith seeks revenge on Earth. He has joined up with a member of an evil race known as the Ggyddn. An outlaw member of the Ggyddn is looking for a new home and has decided on Earth, so this book is the second round of Sith vs Humans. Spencer and Angela are married, and Barney is now their dog. Sith and the Ggyddn have poisoned Earth’s waters with a seaweed which will not stop spreading. It’s up to Spencer, Angela, and a small group of humans (and Barney) to enter a maze of worlds and defeat the aliens. Not Lumley’s greatest, but I still enjoyed it.
April 10, 2008
This was just a rehashing of House of Doors and not all that exciting. Was an o.k. way to spend a few hours, but if you've got something better to read, go for that instead.
May 12, 2021
When it comes to books, I'm very stubborn. Even if I don't like it, I almost always push through and finish it. I figure that even if I don't like it, I can still learn something from it. That does mean that I'll end up dragging a book I don't like out far longer than one I love. I can bust through something I love in just a few days.
I started reading this book in October, and just gave up at the halfway point. It's now March. I just couldn't do it. Maybe you can.
I had more than a few issues with this book, but I'll leave you with my top three:
1) The main character knows everything. There's no drama in a story where the main character reads like a plot device and not a person.
2) The dialog reads like exposition and not conversation. It's important to give information in your dialog, but it should still sound like how people talk to each other.
3) Adverbs. Adverbs everywhere. Sometimes they were even back to back in the same sentence. this just comes across as lazy writing and not actually descriptive.
Now obviously this author has been around a while and has a number of other novels out there. This one may just be a blip in an otherwise quality career. But I never give up on a book, and after six months of trying, I walked away. Take that for what you will.
I started reading this book in October, and just gave up at the halfway point. It's now March. I just couldn't do it. Maybe you can.
I had more than a few issues with this book, but I'll leave you with my top three:
1) The main character knows everything. There's no drama in a story where the main character reads like a plot device and not a person.
2) The dialog reads like exposition and not conversation. It's important to give information in your dialog, but it should still sound like how people talk to each other.
3) Adverbs. Adverbs everywhere. Sometimes they were even back to back in the same sentence. this just comes across as lazy writing and not actually descriptive.
Now obviously this author has been around a while and has a number of other novels out there. This one may just be a blip in an otherwise quality career. But I never give up on a book, and after six months of trying, I walked away. Take that for what you will.
November 9, 2022
Pedestrian Sci-Fi Horror that ends up serving up a Re-tread of Old Haunts.
You ever watch a sequel to a movie that is pretty much a less-interesting re-hash of the first? Maze of Worlds is its literary equivalent.
I've got to admit, I didn't read the first House of Doors novel, but I feel like I have: in fact, I didn't realize this novel was a sequel until I started reading it, a fact that Maze of Worlds would not let me forget. Painfully sluggish to take off and full of expositional dialogue, I had as much trouble sloughing through this clunky writing as the main characters have getting through their respective nightmare worlds, and I hadn't read the first book: I can't imagine how anyone who has read the first book could get through this.
The line on this one is that the aliens from the House of Doors are back and are going to destroy Earth: well, actually, not really, because the alien that was running the House of Doors has been exiled from his home planet and has teamed up with a bunch of fellow renegades to get revenge on our protagonist. The problem is, this fellow is a lot less scary this time around, because our team of experts, half of which have already been through the House of Doors and beaten it, something that the book drives home over and over again, even to the point of having them go through the exact same worlds they went through the first time. With plot devices such as the House of Doors having a method of regenerating its occupants, and the main antagonist actively assisting the protagonists in order to prolong their agony, the narrative takes the promise of throwing hapless victims into a terrifying and seemingly hopeless ordeal into nothing more than a house of mirrors, essentially taking "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" and beating it to death.
This is the first and so far only novel by Lumley I have read, but compared to his contemporaries, this novel is best described as 'pedestrian'. Perhaps this book is an anomaly in an otherwise strong oeuvre (Lumley is a noted writer, specifically for his Necroscope series of novels), so I won't presume to make a judgement about any other of his novels, but frankly, this one isn't worth the time it takes to slag through.
You ever watch a sequel to a movie that is pretty much a less-interesting re-hash of the first? Maze of Worlds is its literary equivalent.
I've got to admit, I didn't read the first House of Doors novel, but I feel like I have: in fact, I didn't realize this novel was a sequel until I started reading it, a fact that Maze of Worlds would not let me forget. Painfully sluggish to take off and full of expositional dialogue, I had as much trouble sloughing through this clunky writing as the main characters have getting through their respective nightmare worlds, and I hadn't read the first book: I can't imagine how anyone who has read the first book could get through this.
The line on this one is that the aliens from the House of Doors are back and are going to destroy Earth: well, actually, not really, because the alien that was running the House of Doors has been exiled from his home planet and has teamed up with a bunch of fellow renegades to get revenge on our protagonist. The problem is, this fellow is a lot less scary this time around, because our team of experts, half of which have already been through the House of Doors and beaten it, something that the book drives home over and over again, even to the point of having them go through the exact same worlds they went through the first time. With plot devices such as the House of Doors having a method of regenerating its occupants, and the main antagonist actively assisting the protagonists in order to prolong their agony, the narrative takes the promise of throwing hapless victims into a terrifying and seemingly hopeless ordeal into nothing more than a house of mirrors, essentially taking "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" and beating it to death.
This is the first and so far only novel by Lumley I have read, but compared to his contemporaries, this novel is best described as 'pedestrian'. Perhaps this book is an anomaly in an otherwise strong oeuvre (Lumley is a noted writer, specifically for his Necroscope series of novels), so I won't presume to make a judgement about any other of his novels, but frankly, this one isn't worth the time it takes to slag through.
November 3, 2025
Good read
I really enjoyed this story, I really loved how well the story came to a conclusion. To all who love reading, you will not be disappointed in this two book series
I really enjoyed this story, I really loved how well the story came to a conclusion. To all who love reading, you will not be disappointed in this two book series
December 18, 2025
Predictable, and very little alien interaction. Seemed like a retelling of the 1st book.
Read
March 7, 2015I tried very hard, but could not get into this book, even though I loved the Necroscope series and Pschomok Series. I cannot recommend it, or give feedback on it, and would recommend anyone looking for a great book to check out one of those other series instead.
September 22, 2013
I wish I had read the first book in this series, but the writing and overarching plot really turned me off to attempting to read through it again chronologically.
May 18, 2011
I wish I had read the first book in this series, but the writing and overarching plot really turned me off to attempting to read through it again chronologically.
July 24, 2011
Sucks!! Read for 2 days and didn't finish the last 100 pgs. That doesn't happen very often.
Read
September 26, 201215
May 27, 2025
Meh, House of Doors was good lets just. . . do it again. I enjoy Lumley so I enjoyed this book, but this wasnt exactly needed after the 1st one.
Read
May 23, 2011Hey, I read book 1, I gotta finish the series.
March 19, 2012
Pretty much a rehash of House of Doors. A completely unnecessary sequel.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews